Sweet Salsa Dump Chicken

I found this recipe on RecipeZar yesterday and had to try it immediately. But I didn't have all the ingredients, so I improvised on some. I also added some lentils to make it a full meal and side dish together. The recipe is designed to be a OAMC or "freezeable" recipe, or you can make it immediately like I did. (I plan to make up some Ziploc bags of this concoction and store them in the freezer for easy meals.) Sweet Salsa Dump Chicken 1 package taco seasoning mix (I only had 1/2 pkg and it was plenty) 8 oz. apricot jam (I used about 6oz. SF Strawberry Jam) 12 ounces salsa (I used 1 can diced tomatoes and Clark's Gringo Salsa Mix) 1 1/2 lbs chicken pieces (I used 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts) 3/4 c. lentils water Mix the top 3 ingredients together in a baking dish. Add the lentils then top with the chicken pieces. Spoon the mixture over the chicken so everything is evenly coated. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes (cooking time will vary depending on the type of chicken you use, so keep a close eye on it). My chicken finished cooking before the lentils were tender, so I pulled the chicken out and added some water (maybe 1 cup?) to the sauce mixture and put the lentils back in the oven for about 20 minutes until they were tender. Then I portioned the lentils and chicken into individual bowls - weighing the chicken to ensure they were 4 oz portions. I had one portion for dinner last night (delicious!), then packaged up four additional bowls for lunches this week. Your portions will vary depending on how much chicken you use. A note about the salsa mix. Salsa is one of those things that I do not allow myself to buy. Not that salsa is bad - in fact, it's a great WLS friendly food. But whenever I buy salsa, somehow tortilla chips jump into my shopping cart and then I end up eating them with the salsa. So to avoid this, I simply don't buy salsa anymore. But Clarks Gringo Salsa Mix is the perfect substitute for recipes. It is "just alright" as a salsa - plain with chips (I tend to be a salsa snob) -- but it's perfect for recipes like this one. It's also very convenient to have these because they don't go bad (they have been in my cupboard for almost a year) ... just mix with a can of diced tomatoes and you have instant salsa. I found the packages on sale at an outlet store (50-cents each) and stockpiled them. So if you can be trusted with salsa in the house, just use normal salsa. If not, these packets work great. If you haven't tried lentils before ... do it! The nutrition stats on these little buggers are amazing! About 10g protein in a half cup serving, plus packed with fiber (8g) and low in carbs (10g net carbs). They are a great substitue for rice dishes and take on flavors wonderfully. Nik makes a great curried lentil dish that is amazing. So go try them, they rock! Enjoy! ~Pam